At the time when 2-stroke motorcycles were king, from the mid 60’s to the mid 70’s, the Suzuki T500 Titan (1968-1976) was the perfect commuter bike. Lightweight, flawless, extremely reliable, bullet proof in the extreme cold or heat, with better brakes than its competitors. In 1970 for the price of $899, you got a 492cc 2-stroke air-cooled parallel twin with a top speed of 105 mph and 50 mpg. It is now considered one of the most underrated motorcycles of all time. You can get one today for a price of $1200 to $3000. (photography @ Doug Mitchel)

It’s great to see these old bikes being restored to their former glory and becoming collector items. The Yamaha XS650 is the one that really brings back memories for me but there were so many others back then like this 2 stroke smoke pumper. I do have to admit I don’t miss the way some them dumped smoke in the air. I’m assuming they had the oil/gas mixture wrong or if it was an auto mix; it was out of adjustment. Could have been bad rings too I suppose.

My neighbor had a green Titan and I had a blue 2 stroke Kaw street bike in 1974. We put many care free miles on those motorcycles. I hope the direct injection being developed now will cause manufacturers to market 2 strokes again. Can you imagine a 21st century H-2?